Fishing lure



June 6, 1950 R. w. BERRY 2,510,769

FISHING LURE Filed Nov. 1, 1945 Patented June 6, 1950 FISHING LURE Robert W. Berry, California, Mo.

I Application November 1, 1945, Serial No. 626,076

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fish lures or casting plugs and 'has particular reference to the type of plug or lure used largely in fishing for bass or similar game fish and which is drawn along the surface of the water in retrieving a cast.

In working with this type of lure and in observing the action of game fish such as bass I have noticed that they are more likely to strike at a lure that closely approximates the action in the water of an aquatic creature such as a frog, minnow or crawfish, which normally serve these fish for food and that at times, even when the bass are not feedin or striking at the usual lures they will frequently rise to an injured or wounded creature. I have also observed that such creatures as provide thenormal food of bass and similar game fishwhen injured or wounded tend to progress along the surface of the water with erratic movements involving a moderate amount of splashing and paddling noises and at a relatively slow rate of speed.

Following these observations I have succeeded in producing a lure which, when drawn rather slowly through the water, tends to ride near or upon the water surface and to imitate to a remarkably close approximation the erratic movements, splashing and paddling noises of a wounded or injured aquaticcreature of the type on which bass and similar game fish normally feed.

I also found, however, that since it is desirable to use a comparatively small lureor 'plug with two standard hooks spaced-apart along the length thereof, it is not practical to space the hook attachment points sufficiently far apart to eliminate the possibility of the hooks becoming interengaged or fouled during the cast, thus causing a dead cast. This problem also has been overcome by the improved antifouling means hereinafter described in detail.

In view of the above considerations, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a casting plugor lure for bass and similar game fish which, when, drawn through the water will simulate the erratic movements,v paddling noises and splashing of an injured aquatic crea-' ure.

A further object resides in the provision of an improvedcasting plug or lure of simple and inexpensive construction which closely; simulates. the action in the water ofan aquatic creature such as normally provide ,foodfor bass and similar game fish, without the use. ofi'feathers,"

bristles or' other materials subject to injury and rapid deterioration.

A still further object resides in the provision in combination with a "game fish casting plug or lure, having at least two standard hooks, of

eans positively restraining the hooks from becoming interengaged or fouled during a cast.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when considered with the'accompanying drawing, and

from the appended claims. v

In the accompanying drawing, in reference numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout; I

Figure l is a perspective view of a casting plug or lure constructed according to the. invention;

however is not limited'ftoany. specific'material,

the only limitations being that the material be durable and bouyant in fresh water.

For simplicity in description, the'shapeof the lure will be referred toin relation to a longitudinal axis a-a asshown in Figures 1 and, 2.

The lure has an enlarged front end portion In;

terminating in av face vl2 disposed :at an angle tov the longitudinal axis The face [-2 has a conical concavity as is clearly shown in the drawing. y

In perfecting a lure that would closely simulate the erratic actions of. an injured or wounded small aquatic creature I found that the tail portion of the lure should be very slender in proportion to the area of the front face [2 and that the length should beshort in relation to the front, face area. 1

For example, a lure having a front face diameter offrom 1 inches to 11 inchesa tail end diameter of approximately inch and a length of approximately 3 inches has been found to give. very satisfactory results. The slender tail portion should, however, increase in size very gradually from the tail end toward the front end portion. Thus, it will be seen from the sectional view in Figure 2 that the bottom line is..a slightly curved line having its greatest amount of curvature in the front end portion which like" portion 24 shaped to fit the rounded tail end of the lure and provided with a substantially central aperture 25 for reception of the shank of the fastener 20.

A radial extension of the cup-like portion is bifurcated and bent back to provide a pair of prongs 28 and 38 having their ends disposed one of the lure and that the top line has a reverse curvature with relation to the curvature of the bottom line havinga curved portion of small diameter over the overhang of the angularly disposed front face and a portion of less curvature, 5 i. e. of greater radius over the remainder of its length corresponding to the length of the bottom line. at each side of the aperture 26 and including The lure'is'otsubstantially circular cross secbet\veen; the; n-a -,slot extendipgdownwardly from tion in 15,; efi a' 'eiiii' fliar to jgtii bhgitueihar1o brie -aperture. When the? antifoulirig device is axis at all s at'ions along the longitudinal axis appli d. to alu the pr 28 a d 30 He on but the front face I2, because of its angular rt-(each side of the screwey 6 and restrain the relationship to the longitudinal axis, is some-1 Wey against rni nd b c m n loo en dwhat elliptical in shape. looped over portion of the radial extension Stated in another way, the body portion of the 1'5 T; iY l-' ,t p s Contacts e an 0 the l may b described as having t shape 9f a hook l8 and limits the forward movement of the body of revolution generated bjr rvolvingabouthook to a 'osmcn; as indioated by the dotted line t longitudinal axis a curved linehaving position ofthe hook 18 in Figure 2, in which the relatively flat concave portion disposed at short 1100K ahnot e g e o fou e 00 1 radia] a t from The invention may beffernbodied in other spea'siii-iif'ii fi r terms? t/ i?d pa i re iss' nir 9? I essential; chara teristic thereon" The pres description} all changes-Mi? co the n1eanirigandfra' n equival'ency- (if the claimsflare therefore iritend'ti tohe emu-aberrtlile ifeiniz' j aesifeer is secured or ide i a ta h edit, 5

said screweye extending through said ap I an i bent radial xt' ri'siohf on sai r e epe ti'.

soreness-against osenr A A 25 antifoulmgdi ie foi fish lur hacks comprising a metal member having a centrally aperturew cup-shaped portion" and pent-- up 4 radial extension oii upbi'tiofi -fih mica-tedits 1 oi rongs disposeion atieac-h s 3-2 In cornbinatidm v two" hooks 'attached the'r distanceiess than" c'o hooks, one of said h'ook in a fouled lure.

interengage resulting not only virith'tlie i extensions on ohe=side thereof for p with said one hook. V

4': m-co'na'binatiofi wit pliedto 'othefi t'lures" or 'phi'Q's 'Witiiout a small eiTd and a' large exceedingthmeopefifthe'iriventidiii 'i '1 3' theretmidne 'ofsaid hooks Therantifoiili'rigrde vice, particularly-7'illustrated -e scretfeye' threaded int th sm'a 3 e 0 a s in Fi'gures 2 fand g'3 ompi'ls'sia meta'l'zelmentyi' lure and the othflioo p iiig attached tifis" generally: h'idicated at 2' 2rha'iiiri'gz acupashaped rfl-fi lureiiitei iiiediaite its length "ancffalt afi distaiic from said one hook less than the combined lengths of said two hooks; an antifouling device comprising a metal element having an apertured portion fitted over the small end of said lure with said screweye extending through said aperture, and a bent up radial extension on said portion providing an abutment for limiting movement of said one hook toward the other hook and having a bifurcated portion providing a pair of prongs disposed one at each side of the eye portion of 10 said screweye to restrain said screweye against loosening.

5. An antifouling device for fish lure hooks comprising a metal member having a centrally apertured portion and a bent up radial extension on said portion bifurcated at its end to provide a pair of prongs disposed, one at each side of said aperture.

ROBERT W. BERRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,009,077 Lockhart Nov. 21, 1911 1,977,141 Pfiueger Oct. 16, 1934 2,261,867 Arbogast Nov. 4, 1941 2,262,974 Steiner Nov. 18, 1941 2,429,339 Arbogast Oct. 21, 1947 

